This invention relates to brassieres, and more particularly to brassieres for firmly holding the breasts during strenuous physical activities.
Women who engage in athletic activities such as running, jumping, etc., often require firm breast support to prevent undue movement of their breasts. Obviously, larger-breasted women will require even greater support, both to prevent unbalancing due to lateral or up and down movement of their breasts, and, most importantly, to reduce any possibility of injury to the breasts due to such uncontrolled movement.
A variety of brassiere constructions are presently available, with varying purposes in mind. U.S. Pat. No. 2,364,899, for example, discloses a construction for providing comfortable breast support while at the same time permiting free and uninhibited movement of the body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,547 discloses a brassiere having elastic portions with clips for connection with the waistband of a pair of slacks, for supporting the slacks. U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,064 discloses a brassiere having pocket portions which can be opened for nursing purposes. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 580,419; 2,333,268; 2,389,450; and 3,411,508.
None of the conventional brassieres, including those noted above, has been designed for the specific purpose of providing breast support for women engaged in jogging, running, jumping, etc. Significantly, no such brassiere has been developed for large breasted women, to hold the breasts firmly downward so as to reduce undue movement and possible injury thereto during such strenuous activities. Preventing upward movement of the breasts limits downward bounce, thereby minimizing discomfort.